Myanmar will observe a minute of silence on Tuesday to honor the victims of the devastating earthquake that has claimed over 2,000 lives, causing roads to buckle and buildings to collapse as far as Bangkok.  

Four days after the 7.7-magnitude quake struck, many in Myanmar remain outdoors, either because their homes were destroyed or out of fear of aftershocks.  

The earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand was so powerful that unleashed energy equivalent to 334 atomic bombs.pic.twitter.com/2AWEhENe1r

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) March 31, 2025

The moment the quake hit on Friday, at exactly 12:51:02 (0621 GMT), the nation will halt to remember those lost. The junta has urged people to bow their heads in tribute, instructed media to suspend broadcasts and display mourning symbols, and announced that prayers would be held at temples and pagodas.

The tribute is part of a weeklong national mourning period declared by the junta, with flags flying at half-mast on government buildings until April 6 "in sympathy for the loss of life and damages."

While everyone is showing how big hotels and roof top swimming pools in Bangkok during earthquake, we often forget more than 1500 have died in Myanmar and people are still bringing out survivors digging the debris in their bare hands! pic.twitter.com/GRlg0R20YO

— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) March 29, 2025

As of Monday, the junta confirmed 2,056 deaths, with over 3,900 injured and 270 still missing. At least 20 fatalities were reported in neighboring Thailand. However, the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers reach remote areas where communication was severed by the quake.

More than 1,000 foreign rescuers have arrived to assist, and state media reported that nearly 650 people have been pulled alive from collapsed buildings across Myanmar.

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Among the victims were approximately 500 Muslims who were killed while offering Friday prayers in mosques when the quake struck, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.

Mandalay in ruins

Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city with a population of over 1.7 million, experienced some of the most severe destruction, with many residential buildings reduced to rubble.

Ahead of the minute of silence, a flag flew at half-mast in a compound near Mandalay University, its yellow, green, and red stripes fluttering slightly in the oppressive tropical heat.

‼️🇲🇲 Horrific scenes from earthquake-stricken Myanmar, where the death toll has already surpassed 1,000. #earthquake pic.twitter.com/5gF9nlD6CN

— Maimunka News (@MaimunkaNews) March 29, 2025

Hundreds of residents spent their fourth night outdoors, either due to the destruction of their homes or out of fear that aftershocks could bring further devastation. "I don't feel safe. There are six or seven-floor buildings beside my house leaning, and they can collapse anytime," Soe Tint, a watchmaker, told AFP after sleeping outside.

Many of those sleeping outdoors have set up tents, but others—including babies and children—are resting on blankets laid out in the middle of roads, trying to stay as far away as possible from damaged buildings.

Prayers for those lost and hurt in Myanmar and Thailand. pic.twitter.com/7Y1Xj1jRja

— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) March 28, 2025

Across Mandalay, apartment complexes have been reduced to rubble, a Buddhist religious site has been devastated, and hotels have crumpled into twisted ruins.

At a Buddhist examination hall, where part of the building collapsed as hundreds of monks were taking an exam, book bags remain piled on a table outside—the uncollected belongings of the victims.

Fire engines and heavy machinery lined the streets as an Indian rescue team worked to clear the pancaked remains of the building. "The smell was very high," one Indian officer said, as the stench of decomposing bodies lingered over multiple disaster sites across the city.